by Abbi Glines
“I’m going to get Beulah. You can start over, and apologize for ordering her around all day. Not for her sake because she doesn’t expect it. But it’ll make me feel better. Not much. But some.”
Tate looked back at the pool house. “So we fix our own drinks, right?”
I wasn’t even going to respond to that.
“Jesus, dumbass. Yes,” Sterling replied with a shake of his head.
“Just checking. Is the bar in there stocked?”
I turned to get Beulah. Tate could fend for himself. I had no idea if the pool house bar was stocked or not. But he had two fucking legs. He could see for himself.
Beulah was wiping down the bar in the kitchen when I went in to find her.
“You can’t stop cleaning, can you?” I asked amused.
She shrugged. “I clean when I get nervous. I can’t be still.”
I walked over and took the rag from her hand, then pulled her into my arms. “There is no reason for you to be nervous. I got rid of Maisie. The two idiots now know the score. Let’s go outside and try to enjoy their company. I’d like you to get to know my friends.”
She nodded her head, then kissed my chin which was as high as she could reach. “Thank you.”
Why she was thanking me after she’d waited on those three all day I had no idea. “You never have a reason to thank me. Now, let’s go before I decide kissing you is a better idea and we end up in my room the rest of the evening.”
Beulah laughed and nodded her head. Happiness was back in her eyes and the nerves she said she’d dealt with were gone.
I held her hand and walked her back through the house, then outside with the others. Sterling looked up at us immediately, but Tate was on the phone with a beer in his hand now.
Sterling smiled at her. “Sorry about today. I had no idea. And the Maisie thing was bad. We should have called.”
“Have you ever called before you came?” Beulah asked him.
“Well, no.”
“Then why would you have started now? I didn’t mind.”
Sterling’s eyes softened and I could tell he was sinking into it. She had that effect on people, although she didn’t realize it. I would have to get used to seeing men look at her that way. A lifetime of it. I could handle it. I knew I was lucky. I also knew I’d never let her go.
“How exactly did Jasper convince you to give him a chance? The ugly bastard that he is?” Sterling was teasing.
She shrugged. “Oh, you know, promised me millions, a new car. I prefer a Mercedes. Maybe a little red convertible one. And then he said he’d get me a private jet so I could go shopping in Paris when my wardrobe needed sprucing up.”
Sterling looked confused for only a second, then he burst into laughter. I was grinning like a fool myself. “Damn, she’s awesome!”
I nodded in agreement then kissed her temple. “I told you the jet was for our six-month anniversary.”
She sighed dramatically. “Dang. I was hoping it would be sooner.”
“What am I missing?” Tate asked walking back over to us.
“How witty Beulah is. Stick around and you’ll be trying to figure out how to steal her from Jasper like I am.”
“There’s always the jet,” Beulah told him which made him laugh again.
Beulah and I were going to be fine. She was a charmer. It didn’t matter the crowd, she could charm anyone just by being herself.
“We’ll get that damn jet tomorrow,” I said.
Beulah beamed up at me. “Or you could just order a really good pizza with everything on it. That or tacos. I love tacos.”
“Please tell me we are keeping her,” Sterling piped up.
“Oh, I am,” I assured him, but I didn’t look away from her gaze. This was all I wanted in life.
I’d order pizza and tacos. Fuck, I may even get a jet.
Beulah
A GENTLE TOUCH ON MY head caused me to stir. I opened my eyes after I felt a hand run through my hair. My head was in Jasper’s lap. The only light in the room was the candle’s we had lit after eating pizza and tacos with Sterling and Tate. Then Tate had found a movie he wanted to watch and we all settled in to watch it, but apparently, I’d leaned against Jasper’s shoulder and fallen asleep. At some point, he’d moved me to his lap. Or maybe I had moved down here myself.
I turned until I was on my back looking up at him. “Hey,” I said.
He smiled down at me. “Hey.”
The movie was over, and the others were gone. I wasn’t sure how late it was or how long he’d been sitting there letting me sleep on him.
“Sorry I fell asleep,” I said, then had to cover my mouth as I yawned.
He smirked. “Yeah, it was hard having someone like you lay on me for hours. A real chore.”
“It was rude of me.”
“Completely,” he agreed, then ran the tip of his finger down my cheek. “I can’t believe you’d do such a thing.” The amused gleam in his eyes made me smile. He liked teasing me and I enjoyed it.
The silence in the house and the candlelight made this perfect. We were here alone, looking at each other, and it was safe. It felt right. Had anything in my life ever felt this right? I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t remember if it did.
“Having to smell you and feel your soft body pressed against me wasn’t that easy. It was incredible. I’ve never enjoyed watching a movie that much before. I wanted them to leave so I could pull you into my lap and wake you up with my mouth.”
I was awake now. I shivered, excited at the thought.
“They’re gone now . . . and I’m already awake.”
His expression grew serious. Those eyes I loved to look into became dark. My body tingled with anticipation.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said. His voice was low, his words were a gruff whisper. “They wanted to be me tonight. But who wouldn’t? I saw them watching us. Looking at you. Wishing. They wanted what I had. I didn’t like them even looking at you. It was insane. But I was jealous they got to see you like this. It was mine to see. You make me crazy, Beulah. I’ve never been crazy.”
I sat up, and he took me by the waist and moved me to his lap.
“Straddle me.” His words were a gentle command.
I did, but I didn’t sit down. When I did, I’d feel his hardness were my throb had begun already.
“I don’t want to share you with anyone. That’s impossible, I know, but there’s this dark need in me to have you all to myself. Seeing them look at you the way they did bothered me.”
I ran a hand through his hair. “They’d just never seen a girl eat pizza and tacos before,” I teased.
He chuckled. “Valid point.”
Then he put his hands on my hips and pushed my hips down. The moment I pressed against his erection, pleasure shot through me. I moaned and it took all my willpower not to rock against him.
I leaned into him until our lips met, and instantly his hands were in my hair as he kissed me. Our mouths locked and the taste of him drew me in, closer. The darkness, flickering light, and being completely alone made it feel as if there was no one else on earth. Just us. Just this place where we could stay wrapped up in each other.
My heart pounded inside my chest so hard I was sure he could hear it. As his hands slipped under my shirt, he wrapped it in his fists and pulled it over my head. He broke our kiss only to dispose of the shirt. He wasted no time capturing my mouth again. I held onto his shoulders as he made quick work of my bra and then pulled it off my body. When he broke the kiss this time it was to lean back and stare at me. His hands were on my ribs. His thumbs barely caressing my stomach now bared to him.
I was breathing so hard my breasts moved in front of him, and his eyes heated as he watched. Both nipples ached for him to do something. I was ready to beg when he brought his mouth to the first nipple and pulled it in with his teeth, barely scrapping the tender area.
“Ah!” I breathed out the word, and my hands went to his head. I wanted to hold him there. To ke
ep doing whatever he was doing with his mouth. I could feel it all the way to the area I was now pressing harder against his lap.
His mouth moved from one breast, leaving it with a kissing, then he took the other. I watched in fascination. I couldn’t keep from making noises. Especially, when he bit down on my nipple lightly. Just enough to heighten the sensation.
When he finally looked back up at me, I was barely able to sit still. My body was craving more. “Lie down,” he told me.
I was at his mercy. I’d do whatever he said at this point, if he didn’t stop what he was doing.
I reclined on the couch, and as soon as my back hit the cushions, he was over me taking off his shirt. His shorts followed. All that remained on his perfect body were his black boxer briefs. I’d often wondered what he looked like in them when I did the laundry. Now I knew and my imagination hadn’t done him justice. Not by a long shot.
He bent and pulled off my shorts. Then he paused, and his gaze met mine. He held my gaze while his fingers grasped my panties and he slowly pulled them down, baring me completely to him.
I’d never been naked like this in front of a guy. When I’d lost my virginity, I’d still had on my dress. It had just been pushed up. I thought being this vulnerable would scare me. But it didn’t. I wanted this. Him.
His eyes trailed down my body. The heat from his eyes made me feel hot and flushed. Then he kneeled between my legs moving them apart. I didn’t realize what was happening until he rested one of my legs over his shoulder.
I started to protest but his kiss on my inner thigh felt so darkly beautiful I couldn’t say anything. He flicked at my skin with his tongue, and then his mouth was there. Where I had never been kissed before. The first swipe of his tongue sent a sensation through me, causing me to cry out as my head pressed into the sofa cushions under me.
“God, you taste as good as you smell,” he said lifting his head barely to look at me. Then he watched me as his tongue came out and he licked me again. This seemed forbidden, and although I knew people did it, I never imagined I would. It was incredible and lifted any barriers I had. Any that may have remained were gone as I trusted him to be intimate with me in such an erotic way.
My thoughts scattered when he pulled my clit into his mouth and sucked. I clawed at his shoulders. I cried out his name. I pleaded with him. I no longer cared about how I acted or looked. I just needed more.
He inhaled me as if I were delicious, and that made me even crazier.
When the wave washed over me taking me to my release, I began to shake and my thighs pressed against his head. I didn’t want to come down from this high. I wasn’t sure I could look at him after I had lost all control.
None of that was an issue because by the time I caught my breath, his body covered mine and I felt him pressing into me. “I can’t slow down. Not after that. I’ve never been this fucking excited in my life,” his voice was tense.
I couldn’t speak yet. But I lifted my hips and opened my knees wider so he would sink inside me. He was larger than I was prepared for and the tight pain from his entrance while I was still coming off my orgasm brought me almost immediately back to climax—as if it was still happening.
“Fuck,” he said against my neck. “Fuck, that feels amazing.” He was breathing hard now. His body moving over mine as he began to move harder, faster. I was exploding again lost in my own world of ecstasy.
When he jerked his hips back and left my body, I started to reach for him. I wanted more. I wanted to go there over and over. But his own release shot all over my stomach as he let out a loud groan similar to a roar.
“Gaaah!” His hand worked as he pumped his seed onto me, panting as he watched it cover my skin.
“Shit, that was . . . I’ve never been that worked up,” he said lifting his eyes from my stomach to meet mine.
I had no energy left. I was weak. But I smiled.
“I made a mess,” he said once he could take a steady breath.
“I enjoyed making the mess,” I managed to say.
He laughed softly then leaned over to grab his discarded shirt to clean me up.
When he was finished, he pulled me into his arms. I cuddled against him. His skin was warm and felt wonderful.
“I love you forever,” he said.
And I believed him.
Jasper
I’D SENT BEULAH TO SPEND some time with Heidi before coming into work. I wanted to make sure she saw her several times a week. Not just on Sunday’s. The one thing I could get Beulah to do for herself was see her sister. When I told her to visit, she didn’t argue. She went with a smile on her face that made the entire world seem brighter.
In life, I hadn’t been taught to trust. It started with my parents. They lost my trust at an early age. Then there were friends, and eventually girls.
The only friend I trusted without question had been Stone. Simply because he was honest, even if it hurt. He didn’t hold back punches. Neither had his father. Figuratively and literally. It was part of the reason Stone was so dark and hard to get close to.
Beulah was the first female I had ever trusted. She made it so damn easy to trust her. Watching her walk away, I never wondered if it was her sister she was going to see. I knew without a doubt that was where she’d be. It was a relief, knowing I could trust someone. Like a heavy burden had been taken away. Just another reason to make me love her more.
Coming home had sounded like living in the pits of hell. But I’d done it to see if I could even take the place my father had left for me. It had been time to try. He had left me more work than he knew. I came back for him, for the corporation he’d left me, and I’d found her. I would be forever thankful I did.
The door to my office opened without a knock. I knew before Stone stepped inside who it was. He was the only one who did that—came in unannounced. Even the woman I loved more than life would knock. I couldn’t get her not to. She was determined it was the polite thing to do. Which made me smile more.
Stone would never be someone she liked or understood. I was okay with that.
He was wearing a white button down today which was rare. He still wore jeans though. He hated dressing like his father—the shoes he’d fill one day. If my father had beaten me until I was old enough to stop him, I’d feel the same.
“It’s official then. You’re in a relationship with her.”
I nodded. “Yes. You knew it was headed that direction.”
He looked annoyed. “I thought you’d be smarter. But it’s your life. I can’t live it.”
“No, you can’t.”
He walked over and sat down on one of the leather chairs across from my desk. “Got any coffee?”
“I can have some sent up.”
“Where’s your secretary?”
“She’s visiting her sister for a few hours because I thought it would be good for her.”
Stone looked like he winced. “I should have seen that coming too.”
I walked over to the phone and called Brandy Jo to have coffee sent up for the two of us. Then I turned my attention back to Stone. “How were things in Manhattan? As thrilling as ever?” I was being sarcastic. He hated it there.
He sighed. “Yeah. We managed not to kill each other. That’s always a positive.”
He was talking about his father of course. They were both tall, well-built men. His dad worked out regularly, and his newest wife was only three years older than Stone. The wife before her had been thirty. He was choosing them younger and younger the older he got.
“Assuming you know about me and Beulah from either Sterling or Tate, I guess you also know that Maisie showed up at the house.”
He sneered as if her name disgusted him. “Yes, I know. And it was Sterling who called me. He’s coming into the city next week and wanted to have drinks at Rauls one night.”
A knock at the door stopped the conversation. “Come in,” I called out.
Brandy Jo stepped inside carrying two coffee mugs and a smile that was nev
er going to go away. I shouldn’t have slept with her. She always looked at me like she was ready for round two. Even after I’d made it clear it was a one-time thing.
“Here you go gentleman. Can I get you anything else?” The tone of her voice had Stone rolling his eyes.
“No, that will be all. Thank you.”
She ran her fingers over my hand as I took the cup. I quickly moved it away and turned my attention back to Stone. “Are you going to Spain next month?” I asked him.
He looked at her with his normal scowl, and she got the message that her flirting wasn’t appreciated and left. “No. I don’t think I am. Too much shit I have to handle. Moving into the flat in Manhattan from our house in New England is going to take some time. When are you going to pack your shit up and move it home?”
We’d shared a three-story house three miles from campus since our freshman year at Cuthdart. None of us had moved a thing. Tate was still living there when he wasn’t traveling. He had one year left since he traveled for a year in Europe our freshman year.
“When there is time for me to leave here. I was going to hire someone to pack it up though. I don’t want to leave . . .”
“Her,” he finished.
“Yes, I don’t want to be away from Beulah.”
He drank his coffee and didn’t say more about that. Which I could take as a step in the right direction. He was accepting our relationship, finally. I knew he would. He was just stubborn as hell.
“She’s different. If you’d give her a chance you’d like her. You’d see why I love her. She’s not a mistake. She’s perfect. I can trust her. That’s rare and you know it.”
I expected a snide remark. Something very Stone-like. Instead, he stared out the window behind my desk a moment. Pensive. I let him think it through. At least he wasn’t arguing with me. He’d let that go.
“I don’t doubt what you are saying. I just don’t think your world and hers will ever completely meld. That’s all. You are in the honeymoon phase of the relationship. But when shit slowly starts to unpack itself from the baggage you both have, it won’t be so damn pretty or easy,” he paused then looked at me. “And are you sure you won’t be the one to hurt her?”